Currents

In the two years following the 1998 publication of Bill Bryson’s best-selling book A Walk in the Woods, in which he recounted his comical, mostly ill-fated attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail (AT), the number of thru-hikers who embarked on the northbound route from Georgia to Maine spiked by 60 percent. Fifteen years later, effects…

Walking has long been recognized as an inexpensive and accessible form of physical activity. A new study finds that walking can also improve mental health—and that walking with a group can enhance this impact. Study co-authors Katherine Irvine, Melissa Marselle, and Sara Warber wanted to quantify the effect of nature on health and mental well-being…